Not to mention the bet between the two, Tang Fan came out of Wang Zhi's place, and seeing that the time was almost up, he went home directly.
Recently, because of the investigation of the East Palace case, he ran between the palace and the West Factory, and sometimes he had to go to the Han house, and the Shuntian Mansion couldn't work normally. Master Pan was very happy to let him go on vacation and let him go to work during this period. You don't have to report to the yamen every day, you can go back after the case is over.
Although it is also investigating a case, going there on time every day to sit in the office, and working hours are two completely different concepts. Although Daren Tang is not the kind of official who messes around, he is very happy to be lazy occasionally.
Seeing the conclusion of the case, this kind of free life will also come to an end. Master Tang is still a little melancholy, and he didn't go to the familiar wonton stall to eat wontons, but went straight home—
Of course, it would be best if A-Dong cooks at home today. Master Tang definitely doesn't want to experience the experience of eating glutinous rice dumplings on an empty stomach and then having a stomachache like last time.
The sky gradually darkened, and when he was still a long way from home, Tang Fan vaguely saw wisps of smoke rising from the kitchen at home, and he seemed to be able to smell the fragrance of the rice, which made him feel better. When he got up, he was humming a little song, and his steps were also a lot lighter.
No matter where you go, it's best to go home!
The courtyard door was not closed and was half closed. As soon as he walked in, he heard a burst of chatter and laughter, as if a familiar man's voice was vaguely mixed in it.
Suizhou is back
Tang Fan was stunned for a moment, and then a smile appeared on his face.
Just before he could take a few steps in, he saw that the dining room door connected to the main hall was open, and there was a table of steaming meals. Little A-Dong was walking out of the direction of the kitchen with a plate in his hand. Just finished it, and he shouted: "Brother Sui, Sister Zhou, the food is all ready, and the big brother will definitely not come back to eat, let's have dinner first!"
Next to the dining table in the hall stood a man and a woman.
The man was naturally Sui Zhou, who had not seen him for a long time. He seemed to have lost some weight, but he was more capable. It would take some time since he came back. Putting on the uniform, it is more like an unsheathed sword, and wrapped under the uniform is the sword light full of blood.
Such a person does not need to wear beautiful clothes and protect his body with sharp blades. Just standing there is already impossible to ignore.
The other girl was the cousin of the Zhou family whom Tang Fan had met the other day. She came to Suizhou that day and returned without success, but she happened to bump into it today.
I don't know what she said, but there was a slight smile on Suizhou's stern face, and her laughter spread like a silver bell. The arm seemed to be touching, but it didn't seem to touch at all, and when it fell into Tang Fan's eyes, there was a kind of ambiguity that seemed to exist.
A-Dong jumped into the hall with the vegetables, and said something to the girl, and they both laughed together, as if they were intimate.
It's been a long time since I've known each other, and it's like glue right away. I'm more affectionate to her than I am to my eldest brother!
Tang Daren thought, he will never admit that he is a little sour in his heart.
There was a tree blocking the angle he was standing at, and the sky was dark, and no one would find him there for a while.
Seeing that the three of them were seated separately, Tang Fan seemed to be really preparing to have dinner before him, so he didn't go inside, but turned around and quietly retreated.
When night falls and the lights are on, it is the time for reunion. Master Tang is not always like this, mother-in-law and mother-in-law, but today I don't know what happened. When he saw the scene of the three people talking and laughing, he felt like he was It's a bit redundant, as if the other party is a family, but now I rashly go in, but instead disturb others.
The most abhorrent thing is A-Dong, the women's college doesn't stay in the middle, it's not too big, so I'm in a hurry to please outsiders!
Tang Fan murmured, not realizing what was wrong with those words, he circled around the Sui's house with his hands behind his back like an old man, and in a short while he went around to the backyard gate of the Sui's house.
Smelling the smell of rice coming from inside, he rubbed his stomach and felt even more hungry. He wondered if he should go out to find something to eat and then come back. He also felt that he was running back and forth these days, although there were times when he was sitting in a sedan chair. After all, I can't compare with people who often need to hurry. When I relax, my legs are sore and weak, and I don't bother to move. I sit directly on the threshold of the back door, watching the stars all over the sky in a daze.
At this time, it was almost early autumn, and it was already a little cool after nightfall.
After a while, Master Tang sneezed, and drowsiness came.
His head was leaning against the door frame, and unconsciously, he fell asleep like this.
I slept very deeply this time, and I don't know about human affairs.
I don't know how long it took, but when he felt like a weight on his body, Tang Fan opened his eyes.
It was completely dark outside, but the light from the yard allowed him to immediately see the person in front of him.
"Guangchuan?" Master Tang said in a daze, and saw the person next to him again. "A-Dong, why are you here?"
Only then did he realize that he felt his body sink just now, because Suizhou took a cloak to cover him.
A-Dong put his arms on his hips and chatted: "Brother, you can say it, we will wait and wait, and we will wait for you to come back, and I am so anxious that Big Brother Sui is going to go out to look for it. Who knew you were hiding here? Why don't you enter the house!"
Tang Fan just woke up, his eyes were blank, his expression blank, and he was still half awake.
Seeing that A-Dong wanted to say more, Suizhou stopped her and helped Tang Fan up.
After sitting for a long time, his legs went numb, Tang Fan's expression twisted, and he almost fell forward.
Fortunately, Sui Zhou was quick-witted and directly supported him by the waist.
"Can you go?" Sui Zhou frowned, with an expression that meant that if Tang Fan couldn't go, he would pick him up.
For the sake of man's dignity, Master Tang naturally hurriedly said: "It's okay, just sit for a long time, just stand for a while."
Sui Zhou asked, "Why don't you enter the house?"
What he repeated was the question A-Dong asked just now.
Tang Fan felt a little guilty for some reason, and touched his nose: "I was a little tired when I just came back, so I just wanted to sit here for a while, but who would have fallen asleep accidentally."
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt that this reason was really too bad.
Who is Suizhou, the person from Beizhen Fusi, a good player in the interrogation, can't tell whether Tang Fan is telling a lie or the truth
Under the silent gaze of the other party, Tang Fan became more and more guilty.
Suizhou watched him for a while before he said, "Go back, A-Dong will cook ginger soup."
A-Dong responded, turned around and ran in.
No one will refuse the warmth of being cared for, and Master Tang is no exception. The little complaint just now disappeared. He smiled and watched A-Dong trot all the way to the kitchen to cook ginger soup, feeling that he had recognized a girl. After that, my quality of life went up.
Sighing at his happiness, Tang Fan turned his head and saw Sui Zhou's eyes still on him, and couldn't help but wonder, "What are you doing looking at me?"
"You've lost weight." Sui Zhou looked at him for a while, and then came to a three-word conclusion.
"No?" Tang Fan touched his cheek, but he didn't feel it at all.
"Well, yes." Sui Zhou seemed to ask and answer himself, making a footnote to his conclusion.
He asked again, "How did you and A-Dong eat when I wasn't at home?"
Tang Fan smiled and said, "How else can I eat, and I haven't missed three meals a day. It's just during this time that I'm busy investigating cases, and sometimes it's inevitable that I miss meals."
Sui Zhou asked, "Where's A-Dong?"
The little girl just came in with the hot ginger soup, Tang Fan half sighed and half ridiculed: "She lives a lot better than me, sometimes when she goes to your house to play with your sister, she is kept for dinner and night, Sometimes I go to the neighbor's house to eat, and I have a good life, and I have saved food for my family!"
A-Dong stuck out his tongue and pouted to retort: "Brother, who told you not to come back, sometimes I leave a meal, but you don't come back to eat it, so it's a waste..."
Suizhou interrupted her complaint and asked Tang Fan, "Have you finished dinner yet?"
Tang Fan coughed and didn't answer.
Seeing this, Sui Zhou didn't understand anything, and he didn't say anything, so he got up and walked out.
As soon as he left the room, Tang Fan talked to A-Dong: "Who offended him, why does it look like someone owes 800 kuai?"
A-Dong pouted: "Who else do you owe!"
Tang Fan rolled her eyes at her: "Don't fool me, what's your big brother's business!"
A-Dong said: "Why is it none of your business? We were supposed to cook dinner, but you didn't come back after waiting for you. Brother Sui asked Sister Zhou and me to eat first, and he didn't even use his chopsticks! He hasn't eaten yet, how can he look good?"
Tang Fan was taken aback: "He didn't eat either?"
Before, he clearly saw that Suizhou and the others had already sat down and were ready to have dinner.
A-Dong smiled and said, "Isn't it? Brother Sui is very loyal. In order to wait for you to come back, he stared at the table full of food and didn't move! There are also roasted lamb legs with honey sauce and hibiscus eggs that Brother Sui made by himself. What! When Big Brother Sui told us to eat first, and Sister Zhou was still there politely, I couldn't help it. The saliva was drooling at that time, so I just put it on the chopsticks... "
Poor Master Tang's belly was empty. At this time, his expression changed to "(⊙o⊙)". Under A-Dong's vivid description, he drooled.
Ouch, I knew it earlier and went in to eat, what kind of face do you want, Tang Runqing, Tang Runqing, face can't be eaten as a meal!
He couldn't help reaching out and pinching A-Dong's cheek: "You little girl is so disloyal, and you didn't say leave some for me!"
A-Dong complained: "The roasted leg of lamb with honey sauce will not taste good if it is cold! Oh, brother, don't say it, Brother Sui's craftsmanship is really good. The leg of lamb was roasted to a golden brown and oily on it. When it's almost ready, brush with a layer of honey sauce until it's roasted until fragrant. It was still hot when I ate it. The meat was so tender. I thought to myself, what a pity brother, it's so delicious. I can't eat anything, no, I have to help you eat more, so I ate a whole four! My stomach was full, and the hibiscus eggs at the back were delicious, but I couldn't eat any more, hey... "
The sadness in Master Tang's heart has long since turned into a river: Don't say it...
"Also, Sister Zhou also cooked two dishes, but I don't think it's good. I only took one bite and didn't move. I don't think Sister Zhou can eat much herself. Brother, let me tell you secretly, I think Sister Zhou seems to like Big Brother Sui, just like our sister A Qiu liked you before, she kept peeking at Big Brother Sui while eating, but Big Brother Sui pretended not to see it, it was funny..." A Dong Like a little hen, talking and laughing, giggling, and gesturing, with a wave of her little arm, the eye sockets of Master Tang almost turned black.
Tang Fan's face was black and he couldn't help poking her, which meant that she should stop.
It's a pity that the little girl couldn't understand the spirit, and she was still there talking about gossip about Suizhou and his cousin.
"Also, I also heard Sister Zhou ask Big Brother Sui: Cousin, do you still remember the agreement between our two families when we were young?" appearance.
Tang Fan almost didn't give her a laugh. Although he really wanted to continue watching her perform, based on the principle of brother and sister love, Tang Fan kindly reminded her, "A-Dong."
A-Dong said impatiently: "What are you doing, you haven't been listening carefully, they are talking about important things!"
Tang Fan pinched her chin, turned her head back, and motioned her to look behind him.
I saw Sui Zhou standing there, looking at her blankly, and I don't know how much I listened to.
A-Dong: "..."
Suizhou: "..."
A-Dong continued to pretend to be demented: "..."
Sui Zhou glanced at her lightly: "Look at the firewood, porridge is burning on the stove."
As if A-Dong had been granted an amnesty, he flew away from Suizhou and ran towards the back kitchen.
Sui Zhou's eyes fell on Tang Fan again.
Tang Fan blinked, showing an innocent and pure expression of "I have absolutely no idea what she was talking about just now."
Sui Zhou said slowly, "Ginger soup is cold."
Tang Fan snorted and hurriedly lowered his head to drink the soup.
For a moment, the room was engulfed in a subtle and awkward atmosphere.
But fortunately, Master Tang was witty and clever, and he immediately thought of a topic that could divert his attention.
"What happened to the case you went to handle this time?"
Suizhou dragged a chair and sat down: "This time we went to Jiangxi to investigate the case of Huang Jinglong, the prefect of Ji'an."
Tang Fan sat up straight and asked, "What did he do?"
Suizhou said: "Jiangxi Supervision Imperial History reported that since the eleventh year of Chenghua, Ji'an prefecture has been inhabited by more than 300 prisoners in three years. They were tortured to death by the prefect Huang Jinglong.
Tang Fan was horrified and moved: "Bold!"
Suizhou nodded: "Yes, so there is an order from above, ordering the Ministry of Punishment and the Supervisory Censor to go to the local area to verify the case and arrest Huang Jinglong into Beijing. I left Beijing in a hurry for this matter."
Tang Fan asked, "How about that, is it going well?"
Suizhou said: "It turned out to be quite smooth, the evidence is conclusive, and Huang Jinglong is irrefutable. There should have been 417 people who were tortured and killed by him. Among them, in addition to more than 300 prisoners, there were no others. Dozens of people were arrested and lynched, but when we counted the bodies, we found that there were a dozen or so missing, and when we asked Huang Jinglong, he couldn’t say why.”
Tang Fan said, "Why?"
Suizhou said: "I don't know, he only said that there are not so many people, but the number of four hundred and seventeen was calculated after we thoroughly investigated the prisoners in the prison and reported the case to the family of the deceased. Theoretically speaking, there is nothing wrong. There might be more than that many people.”
Since Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, all the officials appointed by the imperial court took Jinshi as the entry standard. Of course, this is not absolute. If you have a career, or you are lucky, if there is a vacancy, you can also become an official, but no matter how big the official is, it is almost the same as the governor, and you cannot enter the central government or the cabinet.
This is why in the Ming Dynasty, everyone had to be admitted to the jinshi when they broke their heads.
Then again, after studying hard for more than ten years or even decades, and becoming an official, everyone has different aspirations, some to serve the country, some to benefit the people, and some to make more money. Money, some love power, in order to climb higher. These are understandable.
But I haven't heard of anyone who has worked so hard to become a fourth-grade prefect, and as a result, went to abuse the prisoners, and they were reported and ruined.
What are you talking about
Could it be that Huang Jinglong was stupid in reading and was driven insane, and had a rebellious mentality, wanting to abuse prisoners to seek spiritual pleasure
Tang Fan felt a little incredible, and understood why this case would alarm Jin Yiwei.
"Did Huang Jinglong not explain his motive and purpose?"
Suizhou shook his head: "After he was arrested, he didn't say a word, he refused to reveal anything."
After Huang Jinglong was captured and returned to Beijing, the mission was over, and the rest of the matter would naturally be followed up by others and other departments, so there was no need for Suizhou to come forward for everything.
While speaking, A-Dong came in with a bowl, and the fragrance blew under Tang Fan's nose along with the light breeze from the door being opened.
The stomach warmed by the ginger soup suddenly became hungry.
"It's fragrant!" Master Tang couldn't help saying.
A-Dong put the bowl down, and the dog said, "This is the porridge that Big Brother Sui cooked himself, but it's delicious! There are minced meat, mushrooms, celery, and crushed peanuts in it. Big Brother, Big Brother Sui is such a good man. What a great man!"
This little girl had just arranged his Zhou family cousin behind Sui Zhou's back. After being discovered by Sui Zhou, she was busy trying to make up for it.
It's a pity that she is too young to think of any new words, so she can only recite "What a wonderful person" several times over and over again.
Tang Fan glanced at her sideways, but he didn't break her down. He lowered his head and scooped a spoonful of hot porridge, and put it into his mouth after blowing it to cool.
The porridge and rice have been boiled to rotten by the small fire, and the entrance is full of meaty aroma.
The presence of shiitake mushrooms and peanuts elevates the taste of the porridge to a new level. You don't need to chew much when you eat it, and your mouth is full of fragrant softness. It is the best digestion for Master Tang who has been hungry for a long time.
Tang Fan didn't speak anymore, and just drowned in hard work.
Seeing this, Sui Zhou also picked up the spoon and ate it.
After the two of them had almost eaten, the speed slowed down, and Sui Zhou asked, "There are a lot of things going on in Shuntian Prefecture during this time?"
Tang Fan remembered the words he asked himself about losing weight just now, shook his head and said, "It's not from Shuntianfu."
He sent A-Dong to go to bed first, and that's when he started talking to Suizhou.
But when it comes to the inner palace, there are many taboos. Rao is as close as Suizhou, and he doesn't say much. He knows more, and sometimes it is a disaster rather than a blessing.
Tang Fan picked out some main points to talk about. There were a lot of unfinished words, and Tang Fan didn't need to explain everything in detail. With Suizhou's intelligence, he could naturally guess it.
After listening to Sui Zhou, he was silent for a long time, as if thinking about it. After a long time, he said: "There are many secrets and unknowns about this matter. Wang Zhi is an internal eunuch, so it may not be a hindrance, but as you are, it is better not to get involved too deeply."
What he meant was very clear. Wang Zhi was an eunuch, and he was his own person to the emperor's concubine, but Tang Fan was a foreign minister, and his rank was still very low. If he knew too much, the people above would be unhappy and wanted to deal with him. , that is something that can be solved with a casual wave of your hand.
Tang Fan smiled and said, "Don't worry, the murderer has already subverted the law. No matter how much more, I can't control it. I won't be involved in the affairs of Eunuch Wang in the future."
Rao is Tang Fan's cleverness and cleverness, and he never imagined that after that, he would have countless opportunities to deal with Eunuch Wang, and changed Eunuch Wang's politics that should be fleeting like a meteor. life.
He finished the porridge, put the bowl aside, and praised: "A-Dong has done a good job of cooking, your skills are better than hers, but I'm like a mediocre person who doesn't work hard. !"
A faint smile appeared in Sui Zhou's eyes: "Since we are here, why do you need to know?"
That said, if A-Dong gets married in the future, and you marry another wife, what should I do
The foodie Master Tang was not happy because of the words of his good friend, but became melancholy.
It was getting late, the two chatted for a while, and then went back to the house to rest.
Although he drank ginger soup, Tang Fan still contracted the cold the next day.
This disease, the disease came violently, and Master Tang was knocked down without exception.
He was lying on the bed, coughing one after another, and a little feverish, his face flushed with burning, and his eyes were hazy.
With sacrifices, there will be gains. Along with this, there is no need to go to the yamen, and no need to go to the class. Master Tang can finally ask for sick leave with confidence and take a sick number at home.
Although it was hard to be sick, the treatment of the patients was obviously different. Some people had prepared meals and brought them to their mouths, and they didn't need to wash their faces. Some people took the initiative to wipe his face with a handkerchief.
But Master Tang still felt unhappy.
Just like now, when he looked at the white porridge and pickles in front of him, he felt that the bird was about to fade out of his mouth, and he could not help begging to the person in front of him: "Can you have some meat, even if it's sauce beef or crystal meat. Well!"
Suizhou looked at Master Tang's pitiful expression, and felt a little funny in his heart, but his face was still cold and indifferent: "No."
Master Tang sneezed, tears were about to come out, his vision became hazy, his nose was still itchy, and he looked even more pitiful.
Sui Baihu was really hard-hearted, but he was still unmoved when he saw this, and only handed the white porridge in his hand to Lord Tang.
"Eat it yourself or feed it?"
"Eat by yourself, eat by yourself!" Master Tang raised the white flag and surrendered.
Just kidding, if he was fed spoon by spoon, the image of his wise and martial arts would be gone.
Just seeing the bland white porridge and the terribly salty pickles made him lose his appetite.
At this time, the savior fell from the sky.
A-Dong pushed open the door and came in: "Brother, someone came to you from outside. He was very arrogant. He said it was from the West Factory."
As if Tang Fan was granted amnesty, he was about to put down the bowl in his hand when he heard the words, but Sui Zhou glared at him coldly, and then picked it up embarrassingly.
Suizhou asked A-Dong to come over to supervise Tang Fan who had to eat the bowl of porridge anyway, and he got up and went out.
As soon as he walked out of the door, he saw two people walking towards him.
The one who was in the lead, although he was wearing regular clothes, walked with his hands behind his back, with an arrogant look on his face, he looked like a person with great background, and Sui Zhou really knew each other.
The visitor is the Admiral of Xichang, who has recently gained a great reputation, and the eunuch Wang Zhiwang who has inherited the reputation of his predecessor Wang Zhen as "treacherous official" and "power official".
Although he came to visit, Eunuch Wang didn't wait for the host's house to welcome him out, and came in directly, as if entering a realm of no one, it was really grand.
As I walked, I also commented: "There are too many flowers and plants in this yard, and they are planted in a disorderly manner. I don't know how to fiddle with it at all. It's really tasteless to see others dazzled!"
Suizhou bowed his hands: "I don't know if Duke Wang is coming, and I have lost a long way to welcome him. I hope you will forgive me."
He has such a personality, and when he talks to the emperor and the empress dowager, he has such a dead face. However, Suizhou has a strong ability to handle affairs, and because he is the family of the empress dowager, Emperor Chenghua and the empress dowager Zhou like him very much. People who do things don't use their identities as relatives to act indiscriminately. They are much stronger than those meritorious relatives who have nothing to do.
So Empress Dowager Zhou likes to talk to everyone: how is our home state, how is it.
Emperor Chenghua even compared Suizhou to Sun Jizong, the elder brother of Empress Dowager Sun of Yingzong Dynasty.
Who was Sun Jizong? He was the first foreign relative of the previous and current dynasties, and both dynasties were trusted by the emperor. He was able to get on the horse, manage the army, help Emperor Yingzong to resettle, and help the emperor to preside over the revision of history books.
How much does the emperor trust? Hand over the military power to him, even if people want to retire. When there is a major discussion in the court, he must be the leader. Just a few years ago, he was appointed as a master. ignore.
When the relatives are in this position, it is really enviable and jealous.
Regardless of whether Suizhou really has the style of Sun Jizong, or whether the emperor deliberately praised and amused the old lady for his mother's sake, anyway, with such an evaluation, Suizhou's status will naturally be different.
Although he himself is reluctant to go through the back door, he is still an ordinary family with brocade clothes and guards, but over time, he may not be able to make a fortune. It is not difficult to find people with identity, and it is not difficult to find people with skills. What is rare is that you have both identity and ability.
Therefore, although Wang Zhi was favored by the emperor and Concubine Wan, and was in power, he reluctantly restrained his arrogance in the face of such a person, and bowed his hands to Suizhou in return: "Who am I? It's the master here who just made a rash comment, so please don't take offense!"
His tone was casual, but it didn't seem like he was really asking for guilt, and Sui Zhou naturally didn't care about him.
"Mr. Wang is very polite."
After saying this, the two suddenly stopped talking and looked at each other.
One is speculating on the other's intentions.
One is thinking about Tang Fan's relationship with the other.
At first glance, it seems that two martial arts masters meet on a narrow road and are preparing for the confrontation.